


(i've been) searching so long

by bevioletskies



Series: fic prompts & drabbles [4]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Detectives, F/M, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Private Investigators
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 06:21:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15309333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bevioletskies/pseuds/bevioletskies
Summary: “We’renotgonna arrest them?” Peter protested disbelievingly as Gamora moved to sit at her desk, opposite his.She merely smiled. “Patience, Peter Quill, is a virtue.”(Anonymous fic prompt: Peter and Gamora are private investigators, and cross paths with the crimelord Thanos)





	(i've been) searching so long

**Author's Note:**

> Warning for canon-typical violence and non-graphic mentions of blood and injuries. Fic title is from the song [(I've Been) Searchin' So Long](https://open.spotify.com/track/3z9pBucv2HHp1gYaTcQwiI?si=7oDUof_uRnqAeB9gBLQmzg) by Chicago.

Peter leaned back with a thoughtful hum, the well-worn chair creaking precariously beneath him in warning. His eyes were fixated on the old-fashioned corkboard before him as they so often were, attempting to make sense of anything he was seeing.

“If you get any closer, all you’re going to get is cross-eyed.”

He startled out of his own thoughts, turning in his chair to watch as Gamora stepped into the room with two coffee cups and a sly grin, passing one cup to him. He smiled gratefully before downing half of it in one generous gulp. “We gotta be missin’ something. Thanos had three separate factions, right? One led by two brothers, one led by a married couple, and one led by two sisters. All dealin’ in drugs, weapons, and murder.”

“Yes,” Gamora said evenly. She leaned against the desk, taking a neat sip of her own drink.

“We saw the brothers - Cull and Ebony - shakin’ down that Kree warlord, Ronan, on Hala, for information on the Kasius family.” Peter stabbed a pushpin through the photo he’d taken of them arriving at an abandoned loading dock. “The married couple, Corvus and Proxima, makin’ a deal with the Astrans so they’ll vote Qovas into the Confederacy in exchange for the mines on Easik.” Another pushpin, this time into old mugshots from the time they’d been caught with Chitauri weapons while passing through Sakaar.

“Your point, Quill?” Gamora sighed.

“The sisters!” Peter exclaimed. “I know you’re still kinda green to the whole P.I. business, but they haven’t been seen in over a _year_. No one knows their names, or why they worked for Thanos, or where they went, but they were known for bein’ the deadliest women in the galaxy, and suddenly _poof_ \- gone.”

Gamora swallowed. “Isn’t it obvious?” Peter looked at her curiously. “They’re probably dead. That lead is going nowhere, Quill. Focus on the ones we know about. We’ll get Thanos someday, but focusing on two women who are either rotting in a jail cell or six feet deep in the ground won’t bring us any closer to finding him.”

“But doesn’t it bother you?”

 _More than you know_ , Gamora thought privately. “Don’t dwell on it, okay? The Corps are counting on  _you_ , of all people, and we’ve got better things to be doing than chasing shadows. Rumor has it that the Grandmaster is paying a visit to his brother at the casino tonight, and he’s bringing the weapons that were confiscated from Corvus and Proxima in exchange for one of Tivan’s toys. Chances are, they’re coming here to Knowhere to get them back. We gather the rest of our investigation team, go undercover, and see if we can parse some more information about Thanos’s whereabouts.”

“We’re _not_ gonna arrest them?” Peter protested disbelievingly as Gamora moved to sit at her desk, opposite his.

She merely smiled. “Patience, Peter Quill, is a virtue.”

* * *

Peter, Gamora, and the rest of their team arrived at the casino hours later, appropriately dressed and for the most part, secretly thrilled. Their dingy little investigation office, started by Peter and Drax, had really grown over the past couple years, but right from the beginning, it had always been about taking down the Mad Titan’s crime empire. Their smaller jobs were, of course, interesting enough, but it was the ones that took them one step closer to Thanos that really got their adrenaline going.

Gamora glanced around the rented car at her companions, feeling uneasy. After hearing about their successes and surprisingly decent reputation almost a year ago, she was quick to travel to Knowhere and offer herself as another partner, fudging her credentials and references so they would take her seriously. They had immediately accepted her into their little clan, almost as if she’d been there from the beginning, and she had become irreversibly fond of them, Peter in particular. It was hard to look at him sometimes, though, when he got uncomfortably close to the truth, and this was one of those times.

“You look real pretty. Don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a dress before,” Peter said teasingly as he helped her out of the car.

“Don’t get used to it,” she replied dryly, pushing her hair out of her face. “Remember, Tivan doesn’t usually show up until the end of these parties, but there’s a good chance Corvus and Proxima will arrive beforehand, or possibly send scouts to ensure the legitimacy of the deal. Any suspicious behavior, and - ”

“And we report it to you. We got it, Gam.” Rocket scoffed. “You’d think we haven’t done this a million times before.”

“We haven’t,” Drax interjected unhelpfully. “This is perhaps only our third time infiltrating the Collector’s place of business - ”

“I was just exaggeratin’, you big lug.” Rocket elbowed Drax before he could continue on. “Me n’ Groot are gonna be at the tables. You got a problem with that?”

The two of them walked inside before anyone could object, though Peter called after them in vain. “Don’t spend all our money like last time! I still can’t show my face in the bar on 12th, no thanks to you.”

“Drax and I will go talk to bar patrons,” Mantis offered with a sunny smile. “I promise not to let Drax get too drunk.”

“What are you implying?” Drax protested, though Mantis dragged him away before he could defend himself. Peter glanced over at Gamora, who seemed unusually fidgety.

“Guess it’s down to you and me to hang out up high,” Peter said, nodding towards the balcony that overlooked the casino’s enormous entryway, where the rich and shameless were currently tossing their spaceship keys to the valets like they were worth nothing at all. “Ready, partner?”

“I suppose,” Gamora said reluctantly, allowing him to lead the way. Once they were upstairs, she could almost see that telltale glint of mischief in his eyes, something that told her he was thinking about it again. “Stop.”

“I didn’t - what?” Peter looked bewildered.

“You’re thinking about the sisters again, aren’t you?” she said accusingly. “You have too many tells, Quill. I’m not sure how you made it as P.I. in the first place.”

“Hurtful.” Peter clutched at his chest in mock offense. “But nah, I wasn’t. I...uh, I was actually thinkin’ about _you_.”

Now it was Gamora’s turn to look confused. “Me?”

He smiled almost shyly this time, lacking the usual smug, upturned corners of his mouth. No, this was something softer, sweeter. “Well, we’re comin’ up on one year of you being with us, and um, it’s been pretty awesome, don’t you think?”

“It’s had its moments,” Gamora said diplomatically, though she couldn’t help but smile, too. She stepped closer to the edge of the balcony, resting her hands on the railing as she stared out at the night sky. “I’ve enjoyed myself. Really, I have. Not just the work, but...the people.”

“Yeah? You got a favorite?”

Gamora laughed. “Are you actually _asking_ me to compliment you? How the arrogant have fallen.”

“Can’t hurt to try, right?” he chuckled, taking a step closer. His hand settled on the railing by hers, their fingertips barely brushing. “I’m kidding...mostly. I just...I wanted to say that I’m really glad you’re here. Y’know, it kinda felt like the team was - we were doing great, but we were missing something, and when you showed up at our door...it all made sense again. And you’re not just our co-worker, Gamora, you’re our friend. I hope you know that.”

A lump formed in her throat, her fingers tensing around the cool metal. “You trying to soften me up for something, Quill?” she said hoarsely. “Vacation time, maybe?”

“No.” Peter laughed again, but this time, he sounded far more nervous. “I wanted to ask, if maybe, you’d, uh...be interested in - ”

“Sister.”

Gamora’s blood ran cold as she slowly, but reluctantly turned on her heel; that voice was unmistakable. “What are you doing here?” she said in a horrified near-whisper.

“Saving _you_ , if you can believe it,” the other woman said snidely, snatching up Gamora’s wrist and yanking, _hard_. “Come on.”

“Hey, hey, hands off!” Peter tried to pry her fingers from Gamora’s arm, only to get backhanded across the face for his efforts. “ _Ow_ \- hey, you can’t just do that - ”

“Nebula!” Gamora scolded, wrestling out of her grip. “Quill, it’s okay. She’s my sister. Saving me from what, Nebula?”

Nebula scowled at them both. “Corvus and Proxima are coming here tonight.”

“I’m aware. Why else would I be here, of all places?” Gamora snorted.

“No, I mean they’re here for _you_ ,” Nebula snapped. “You think they give a damn about Chitauri weapons? They’re a unit a dozen on Sanctuary. They were always going to find you eventually, since you’re so insistent on trotting around with the rest of your team, solving mysteries and stopping crime like a good little detective - ”

“And they intend to kill me?” Gamora drew to her full height. “I’d like to see them try.”

“Wait, why’re they after _you_ specifically? It’s _my_ agency,” Peter interrupted, but both sisters ignored him in favor of narrowing their eyes at each other.

“They intend to bring you to _him_.”

Gamora finally fell silent, her heart drumming painfully fast in her chest as she tore her gaze away from her sister. She leaned against the railing once more, only this time, she wanted to vomit. Of _course_ it was always going to come to this; how could she have been so naive? It was only a matter of time before her past caught up to her, before _he_ caught up to her. “Then we have to go into hiding. Tell me you have a ship.”

“Registered, but untagged,” Nebula nodded. “Come with me, we’ll have wheels up in two minutes flat.”

“Seriously, can you guys tell me what the hell is going on? I can help, okay, I still got some pull over at the Nova Corps. We can do this together!” Peter squeezed Gamora’s shoulder. “C’mon, Gamora. Let me help.”

Gamora turned back around to face him, her eyes now filled with unshed tears. “Not tonight, Quill. You’ll have to finish this job without me.”

Peter stared at her, alarmed. He’d never seen her so shaken before. “Who is ‘him’, Gamora?” he asked softly. She merely shook her head and stepped out of Peter’s grasp, moving to stand beside Nebula. Still, his eyes followed her. “Is he...is it Thanos?” His gaze flickered between her and Nebula and suddenly, everything fell into place for him - or more accurately, came crashing down. “You…” he breathed. “It’s you. You’re the...the sisters.”

“Quill - ”

“You showed up on Knowhere two months after they went missing,” Peter whispered. “After _you_ went missing. Said you had no family, but you had experience, and you knew we were workin’ hard on bringing Thanos down.”

“Please, Quill - ”

“Did you come here just to take us down? Dismantle our agency or, or...or kill us?”

Gamora bit her lip so hard she drew blood, hot tears spilling down her cheeks before she could stop herself. “I have to go,” she murmured shakily. “Please, just let me go. Tell the others...tell them I had a family emergency.”

His eyes darkened. “Oh, I’ll tell ‘em a lot more than that.”

Nebula didn’t give Gamora a chance to reply, digging her nails into Gamora’s arm and harshly pulling her away, knocking people over as they disappeared into the crowd. Peter was left staring at the spot Gamora once occupied, truly and utterly speechless. 

* * *

The rest of the night went by in a haze; Peter could barely concentrate on looking out for Corvus, Proxima, or any other suspicious behavior, only focusing on what seemed to be Gamora’s complete betrayal. He tried to give her the benefit of the doubt; from what he could tell, she was no longer on Thanos’s side, judging by her terrified reaction at the mere thought of him. Still, she had kept it hidden, played it off like it was nothing, stood by Peter’s side for almost a _year_ and said nothing, did nothing. She probably had all the inside information he could ever want and more, and here he was, begging for scraps, desperate to catch a glimpse or a whisper of _anything_ that would bring Thanos down, once and for all.

“Where is Gamora?” Drax asked when the team met up again at the end of the night.

“Left early. Family emergency,” Peter muttered, running his fingers through his hair.

Mantis frowned. “I thought she doesn’t have any family.”

“Then she lied, I guess,” Peter grumbled. _Wouldn’t be the first time._ “C’mon, let’s go home.”

He was silent the whole ride back, only perking up to absentmindedly say his goodbyes whenever someone exited the car. When it was down to just him and Mantis, who lived in the same building, she leaned in closer to look at him inquisitively. “It was not a family emergency, was it?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” Peter said tersely, waving her off.

“I know you wanted to ask her out,” Mantis said sympathetically. “Oh, Peter, did she say no? Is that why she left?”

He scoffed. “I _wish_ that was what happened. No, Mantis, just drop it, okay? I’ve got some stuff to figure out.”

Peter tossed and turned all night, at a loss for what to do. Objectively, he knew he couldn’t let his emotions dictate the rest of the case. He needed to report her to the Nova Corps; after all, they were the one who legitimized his operations in the first place. He had to tell them he’d found the two missing daughters of Thanos and that Gamora had been lying this whole time about her qualifications, her background, her _everything_.

However, he still couldn’t help but feel hurt, betrayed, and yet, still worried about her well-being. After all, Thanos was probably going to do unspeakable things to her and her sister if he ever found them - in the end, they would _welcome_ death. Peter hesitated. Maybe it would be better for him to bring her in instead of call her out...only the Nova Corps would surely shut him down the second they found out he was protecting her, maybe throw them _all_ in jail. Groaning, Peter face-planted into his pillow. He really needed to sleep.

Unsurprisingly, he woke earlier than usual, unable to get more than four hours of rest. He reluctantly pulled on his coat and dragged himself to the office, hoping Mantis couldn’t hear the squeak of his door hinges from her apartment across from his. He could barely keep his eyes open when he flipped the lights on, and it took him a second to even realize they were switched off immediately after. “What the hell…”

“Please. No one knows I’m here.” Gamora stepped out from behind him, holding her hands up in surrender. “Well, except for Nebula.”

“Gamora,” Peter breathed, almost dropping his bag in shock. “What - ”

“It didn’t feel right, not explaining myself. Besides, I figured you were either going to report me to the Nova Corps or hunt me down yourself.” She let out a dark laugh. “I wouldn’t blame you either way.”

“You said you needed to hide. I saw some of Thanos’s Outrider agents at the casino last night, probably lookin’ for you,” Peter said in disbelief. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“According to Nebula’s intel, the other Children of Thanos know about you, but not the others. I’ve been seen with you in public too many times.” Gamora sucked in a breath. “So...I need to protect you, too. You have to come with us, and I’m hoping you’ll come quietly. I can’t let you report me, and I _definitely_ can’t let you kill me.”

“Oh, you’ve gotta be _kidding_ me,” Peter groaned, rubbing his hands over his forehead.

“I know the last thing you want to do is trust me. But my only option, for both my protection _and_ yours, is to take you with us. We don’t have time to argue, okay? I saw the Outrider agents, too. They were outside the safehouse that Nebula and I were staying at, ready to tear the place apart.” Gamora held out a trembling hand. “Please, Quill. Don’t make me ask again.”

His heart felt like it was racing in his throat, his head spinning, though that might have been from exhaustion. Sighing, Peter hefted his bag over his shoulder. “Fine. But don’t think I don’t got questions for you. A _lot_ of questions.”

Once they boarded the ship parked out back and Nebula got them in the air, Peter was feeling more and more uneasy. What was he doing, uprooting his life and going against protocol to let Gamora, a supposed former lieutenant of Thanos, drag him along with her? He needed to call the Nova Corps, or Mantis, or Drax, or hell, Yondu was probably skulking around a few planets over, just _something_ -

“Give me your communicator.”

Sighing in defeat, he pressed the device into Gamora’s palm. “You’re _really_ not helpin’ your case here.”

“You don’t have the authority to arrest me, only the ability to call it in. Excuse me for being cautious,” Gamora retorted, tucking it neatly into her belt. “We’re on the same side, Quill, I promise. I just...I needed a way into Thanos’s head that wasn’t my own. And legitimacy.”

“And yet you came to me and Drax, of all people. Why? Why didn’t you just go to the Nova Corps directly?” Peter shot back.

“Because the Nova Corps would either imprison me or kill me on the spot. Believe me, they won’t give me or Nebula the time of day. They’ve seen our faces before. You hadn’t.” Gamora sat on the bench opposite him, her shoulders slumping a little. She looked absolutely exhausted. “When I heard there was an investigation office working to take our father down...I had hope. I still do. But now, you know too much, and they know who you are, and...I just want to keep you safe, okay?”

Peter leaned closer, eyes narrowing. “No, you want to keep me _quiet_. That’s why I’m here. You spent _years_ doing Thanos’s dirty work, why stop now?”

“Guilt, pain...though really, that’s an understatement.” Gamora shrugged sadly. “Nebula and I were tortured for _years_. Physically, mentally. Every morning, I woke up wishing that Thanos had just killed me alongside my family instead of taking me to be a part of his. Usually, we had to travel in groups, but this time, it was just us. He wanted us to retrieve an Infinity Stone from Morag. We fled to Knowhere instead. We already knew Tivan from a previous job, so we called him and he set us up in a safehouse, no questions asked. Told us where we could find you. The rest, you already know.”

“And why all the secrecy? A whole year, and you never _once_ spoke up! All those times that I speculated about who the sisters were, where they went. I was practically _begging_ for just a hint of information about Thanos’s whereabouts and his deals, and you just sat there and pretended.” Peter scoffed. “You’re damn right, I don’t trust you.”

“That’s fair.” Gamora smiled remorsefully. “I was going to tell you someday, but honestly, I didn’t know much more than what you had already uncovered. You’re clever, Quill. Resourceful, too. Really, the only things that I knew about that you didn’t already figure out were mostly irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Little illegal dealings here and there, a few trafficking operations that were already dismantled by the appropriate authorities. But we are after the same endgame here - taking him down for _good_. And he’s not an easy target to find.”

Finally, it seemed like Peter had nothing left to say to her, his eyes glazing over a little as he stared out the window to the stars. He got to his feet. “I need a nap,” he muttered. “And possibly some booze, once we get...wherever it is we’re goin’.”

* * *

Peter woke a couple hours later to bright sunlight streaming in through the tiny bunk window and the sounds of two hushed, but urgent voices by the door. “We can just leave him to rot here forever, sister, I don’t see the problem.”

“He’s...he’s important, okay? We spent so long trying to track Thanos’s progress together, abandoning him would do more harm than good.”

“You _just_ said he knows no more than we do.”

“Just...trust me, Nebula. We have to keep him with us. Think of the consequences if we let him go. Not just for us, but for him, too.”

When he finally had enough, Peter emerged from the cabin, catching them both off-guard. “Where are we?”

Gamora smiled tightly. “Sakaar.”

“Oh, you gotta be - ”

“It’s the last place he’d expect,” Gamora interjected. “If you’re done questioning everything I’ve said, there’s work to be done. Let’s go.”

They trekked through the literal garbage dump that Nebula had landed them on, Peter pinching his nose in mild disgust the whole way. “Where are we even goin’?”

“Do you ever stop talking?” Nebula groaned.

“Hey, it’s part of being a P.I.,” Peter said defensively. “Seriously, Gamora, what’s the plan here?”

“I have a contact. One of the lieutenants of the Grandmaster,” Gamora replied, taking long, steady strides. “They’ll make a deal with him so we can hide on Sakaar without intervention, and send forces out for Corvus and Proxima. We can’t let them get me, or else Thanos will gain more power than you can ever imagine.”

“What’s that s’posed to mean?” Peter frowned. He could practically hear Nebula rolling her eyes in response.

Gamora paused. “I know the location of something precious to him. No one, absolutely _no one_ , knows. We need as much distance between him and me as possible. Follow me, the back entrance is over here.”

They slipped in through the ‘back entrance’ - which was really the end of a garbage chute, much to Peter’s chagrin - before emerging in a boiler room. The three of them barely had time to wash up in a nearby supply closet and remove all the grime when the door slammed open and a figure strolled in. Peter let out a startled yelp, while Gamora and Nebula drew their weapons, seemingly out of nowhere.

“Relax, G, it’s me.” A woman stepped into the light with a sort of casual (or perhaps somewhat drunken) swagger. She wore dark armor, white facepaint, and a relaxed smirk. “Who’s this?”

“Quill runs the investigation office on Knowhere. I need him to be part of the deal, too. The Black Order know about him.” Despite herself, Gamora let out a sigh of relief, lowering her sword. “It’s good to see you, Valkyrie. It’s been too long since I last visited.”

“Yes, well, Sakaar isn’t exactly an ideal vacation spot.” Valkyrie dragged her finger through some of the mold accumulating on one of the boilers, wincing slightly as it crumbled to pieces. “The Grandmaster already approved my request for the empty apartment beside mine. It’s not much, but it should serve well as your - temporary - home. There are guards patrolling the halls at all times, not that it’ll do much if your siblings come knocking, but it’s better than nothing.” She gestured for them to follow her, and they began making their way through the maze of hallways in the Grandmaster’s Palace.

“Were you here when Corvus and Proxima tried to smuggle Chitauri weapons by the Sakaaran soldiers a few months ago? I know Thanos also had his eye on the Grandmaster’s champion, whoever it is,” Gamora added.

“The champion doesn’t need weapons, he _is_ the weapon,” Valkyrie replied. “And yeah, I saw those smug bastards hanging around. The good thing is, the Grandmaster _does_ talk to his brother, so he didn’t give up your whereabouts when they asked. But you know, for a P.I., you’re terrible at the ‘private’ end of the deal.”

“Private doesn’t mean anonymous,” Peter interrupted. “And those news articles were - ”

“Whatever,” Valkyrie sighed, waving him off. “There’s a Contest of Champions happening tonight, if you’re interested in chasing down any other leads. They’re a hotbed for illegal activity and just about the only time you’ll see some of the most influential - _and_ immoral - people in the galaxy come out to play. Besides, I know you like a good fight, Gamora.”

“We need a low profile,” Gamora said apologetically. “And an army.”

“You don’t have an arrest warrant?” Valkyrie teased, finally bringing them to a stop in front of their door. “I can make some calls. But I’ll be at the Contest tonight, seeing how my champion is doing. Drop by if you want the information early. Otherwise, I can come by in the morning, provided I even _have_ something.”

“Thank you, Valkyrie.” Gamora’s shoulders finally relaxed for the first time in hours. “If you ever need a favor - ”

“How about a drink?” Valkyrie smirked, yanking the door open. She cocked her chin. “Go on, get inside.”

* * *

Peter, much to his dismay, spent the next few hours sitting on the couch and twiddling his thumbs impatiently, watching as Gamora and Nebula pored over the documents that he hadn’t even realized Gamora had taken - or more accurately, _stolen_ \- from his office. They were knelt at the coffee table opposite him, photos and articles spread out all over its surface, muttering to each other under their breaths like they didn’t want him to hear. “What was it like?”

Gamora looked up at him. “What?”

“Your life with Thanos. I guess I still don’t really know the whole story,” Peter shrugged.

Nebula shot Gamora a disbelieving look, but Gamora shook her head in return, moving to sit beside Peter instead. She twisted her hands in her lap, contemplating what she wanted to tell him. It alarmed her to think that she was just about ready to tell him everything. “Thanos started off as an influential member of Titan’s social circles, making his way up the ranks. He became more and more corrupt as time went on, as he began believing in things that no one should ever believe, fighting for causes that were misguided and harmful. He truly thought he knew what was best for the planet, and eventually, for the rest of the universe. He was frustrated by the lack of movement by the Titan government, and believed it simply came down to money.”

“So he started dealing in illegal trade; nothing _too_ harmful, just goods that were banned for one reason or another. Then it became drugs. Then weapons. Then...people.” Gamora swallowed. “Both Nebula and I were taken from our parents as children, and intended to be sold for...other purposes. But for whatever reason, he decided to keep us instead. He raised us to be his protectors, and then his lieutenants. We were never left alone until a year ago, when he became too greedy, and sent out every last one of his Children to carry out jobs for him at the same time. That’s how we ended up being sent to Morag by ourselves.”

Peter nodded thoughtfully. “And he’s making a play on...what was it you said? The Infinity Stones?”

“Tivan is in possession of one. It’s why he helped Nebula and I find a place to stay, free of charge. In exchange, we protect his business and his life from our father, as shady as he may be,” Gamora replied. “And you? How did you come by Knowhere?”

“Finishing one last job.” At her confused expression, he patted the empty spot on the breast of his jacket, where the ghost of a cloth patch remained. “Ex-Ravager. But I wanted to get out of that life, do somethin’ honest. Cleaning up the streets of Knowhere seemed like a good start. Then I met Drax, and he told me all about what happened to his family and countless others...it just made sense.” He smiled apologetically. “I guess I’ve been keeping things from you, too.”

“ _That’s_ why the Nova Corps know you so well!” Gamora exclaimed. “You’ve done prison time.”

“More than I wanna think about,” Peter chuckled sheepishly. “Okay, so I was hard on you earlier. We both got pasts that we kept from each other ‘cos it was convenient, and I decided to be a hypocritical a-hole about it. I just...I thought I’d grown to trust and _care_ about someone who wasn’t who I thought she was, at all.”

Gamora smiled gently, nudging his knee with hers. “I wasn’t pretending to be someone else. I promise, all I did was conceal my former affiliation with Thanos. Everything else is true. In fact, I’ve never felt more myself when I was with you and the others. I meant it when I said I was enjoying my time with the team. I never had any intention of harming you, _ever_. All I wanted was a legal way to take Thanos down, see if I could follow the law and stop him, instead of just killing him outright. When your agency’s name popped up, it just...it felt right.”

Before Peter could respond, Nebula let out a sudden snarl of distaste. They both looked up, only just realizing that she had crossed the room to stand guard by the window. “Chitauri,” she hissed.

“You see the weapons?” Gamora jogged over to join her, Peter following closely behind.

“No... _Chitauri_.” They both followed Nebula’s pointed finger, eyes widening in horror as at least thirty Chitauri soldiers marched their way through the startled Sakaaran crowd, knocking over every last passerby without so much a glance. They didn’t appear to have a commander with them, or a particular target, but their presence could only mean one thing.

“Thanos is here,” Gamora said in a near-whisper, stepping back from the window. “He might not know that _we’re_ here, but he’s already come for the Grandmaster’s champion.”

Peter blinked. “So, uh, something tells me we should rethink skippin’ out on the Contest of Champions, after all.”

* * *

Valkyrie, unsurprisingly, was delighted to hear they had changed their minds. She sent some clothes ahead for them in preparation, and invited them to sit with her in the Grandmaster’s private box (“I usually decline since some of his other favorites are creepy, but if you’re taking on the Mad Titan himself, you at _least_ deserve a good view,” she had grinned salaciously). Peter, meanwhile, felt like he was experiencing deja vu from the previous night (had that really only been just yesterday?) with Gamora on his arm, only this time she was wearing ceremonial Sakaaran armor instead of an evening dress.

“Scrapper 142, how about that! You finally decided to join me, after _all_ these years,” the Grandmaster beamed, squeezing Valkyrie’s hand with a vigorous shake. “You’re always hidin’ up in the nosebleed section on that rustbucket of yours, I was almost about to give up asking. But I’m sure glad I didn’t, hey?”

“I brought my guests with me. I thought they’d appreciate the view,” Valkyrie replied, gesturing behind her.

“Why, hello there. Aren’t you all somethin’ to look at?” The Grandmaster’s scrutinous gaze was intense enough, but the twitchy eyelash fluttering soon became too much for anyone’s comfort, and the three of them quickly settled into their seats on Valkyrie’s other side.

“You must have seen the Chitauri soldiers arriving earlier,” Gamora murmured to Valkyrie, who hummed in confirmation. “Any progress on finding combatants?”

“Let’s just say that you _really_ owe me that drink,” Valkyrie said, grinning. “How does the full force of the Asgardian army sound?”

Peter leaned around Gamora. “How’d you pull that off?”

“It’s...a long story.” Valkyrie’s face fell a little, her mouth twisting unpleasantly. “Now hush, it’s starting.”

The next hour went by in a blur, starting with a couple warm-up fights that were only mildly interesting. They were far more invested in scanning the crowd for any signs of the Chitauri or worse, the Children, than to pay much attention to some lackluster combat. Gamora was steadily becoming more anxious as time went on, half-expecting Thanos to burst through the fighter’s gates at any moment and tear her apart. Then:

“Is that him?”

Gamora and Nebula went numb, cold sweat breaking out across their foreheads at the familiar baritone that rumbled not too far behind them. Oblivious to their predicament, the Grandmaster go to his feet, cheerful as ever as he greeted the newcomer. “No, no, not yet, much too soon. Trust me, you’ll know my beloved champion when you see him. Sit, sit. I’ll give you the rundown on what you’ve missed, huh?”

“Aw, crap,” Peter muttered under his breath. Through his peripheral vision, he watched as the Mad Titan himself settled into the chair on the Grandmaster’s opposite side, resting his elbow on his knee as he leaned forward, furrowing his brow, squinting intently into the stadium. He didn’t need to look behind him to know Gamora and Nebula were absolutely petrified. “Hey, uh, Valkyrie, can you do something?”

Valkyrie stood abruptly. “I’m taking my guests to the bar,” she announced loudly, quickly yanking Gamora and Nebula up by the wrists and practically shoving them out the door. Peter sprinted after them as they exited the Grandmaster’s private box, ducking into a side stairwell, away from the watchful eye of the Chitauri soldiers stationed at the doors.

“I wasn’t expecting him to be _that_ close,” Gamora said breathlessly. She seemed seconds away from vomiting profusely. “We didn’t plan for this. We can’t take him on, not now, not without the full force of an army behind us.”

“So what, we run? He’s _right_ there!” Peter exclaimed. “Let’s get the frickin’ guy and get this done.”

“You don’t know him like we do, Quill. He may look like nothing more than a brute, but he’s far too clever. He would have to be to get _this_ far.” Gamora raked her fingers through her hair, pacing back and forth, her heels clattering against the metal grates below. “Our only option is if we can catch him by surprise. I might have an idea, but it means we have to go find his transport pod and wait for his return.”

“This better be a damn good idea, because I didn’t come here to die,” Nebula grumbled.

“It’s the best I’ve got,” Gamora shrugged with a wistful smile.

“I’ll go back to the box and keep an eye on him,” Valkyrie offered. “Besides, the Grandmaster’s champion is my friend. I need to make sure he doesn’t get traded off Sakaar, not before his other friends come to take him home.”

Peter looked puzzled. “Friends?”

“Another long story. Now go before the Grandmaster gets suspicious. It doesn’t usually take me _this_ long to order drinks,” Valkyrie chuckled wryly.

The three of them moved to leave, keeping their eyes and ears open for Chitauri soldiers, though Gamora couldn’t help but call over her shoulder, “At this rate, I owe you the entire top shelf!” as she sprinted away.

* * *

Thankfully, it wasn’t too difficult to find Thanos’s transport pod among the swarm of vehicles and spacecraft crowded in beneath the Grandmaster’s Palace, considering it was surrounded by Chitauri soldiers. They ducked behind a rundown M-ship, watching intently as the soldiers circled the pod in slow, menacing strides. “You’re lucky I remembered to take my blasters to the office,” Peter whispered, unearthing them from his bag. “And you guys got your - where the hell have you been keeping _swords_?” Nebula merely glared at him in lieu of a verbal response. “Alright, alright, sorry I asked.”

“Forget your guns, Quill,” Gamora murmured, gently pushing his hands down. “The Chitauri are tough; they require brutality, not bullets. Remember my instructions?”

“Get into the pod, send out a scrambled tracking signal. Once the pod docks with Sanctuary, we can track him wherever he goes,” Peter recited diligently. “I mean, not gonna lie, I’m kinda bummed out we’re not gonna take him down for good today.”

“It’ll be better in the long run,” Gamora smiled sadly. “Find the rest of his operations, all the little hiding spots that even _we_ didn’t know about.”

“Yeah, makes sense,” Peter nodded. “We don’t exactly have the authority to kill _or_ arrest him, either. Hell, he could probably kill _me_ with a snap of his fingers.” The sisters both stared at him incredulously. “What?”

“Stay here and wait for our signal,” Gamora said firmly. “When you have a clear path, make it quick - get in, get it done, get out.”

“Yeah, I got it - oh.” Peter watched helplessly as Gamora and Nebula went barreling over the broken wing of the ship, charging into the crowd of Chitauri soldiers with a mighty cry. They barely had time to react before the sisters descended upon them, slashing their way through every single body like they were made of paper, the ground rumbling with the sheer weight of the army’s sudden collapse. “Okay, I’ll just be back here - ”

“ _Now_ , Peter!” Gamora hollered over the sounds of metal hitting flesh and the helpless screams of fallen soldiers, driving her sword straight through a Chitauri’s heart.

Peter nearly tripped over his own feet as he sprinted towards the pod, using his blaster to blow the door open - this was no time to hack the autolock. He collapsed into the pilot’s seat, and with trembling hands, yanked open one of the utility panels underneath the console and began digging around, holding a penlight between his teeth. “Focus, Peter,” he muttered to himself as his shaky fingers untangled the wires that connected the navigation system. The minutes felt like hours as he worked, sweat rolling down the back of his neck. He tried his best not to look out the window to keep an eye on the sisters as they fought a seemingly endless stream of Chitauri, though his heart beat painfully fast out of nervousness for both him _and_ them.

Just as he was finishing up, an enormous thud erupted from somewhere above his head, almost like someone had jumped on top of the pod. Slowly, Peter peered out of the dashboard window, his blood running cold at the realization of who it was. He held his breath as he retreated into a shadowy corner of the already-miniscule pod, quietly closing the door behind him.

“Daughters.” His deep baritone rattled its way through everyone’s bones. “What a surprise.”

“Believe me, we aren’t excited to see you, either,” Nebula growled, brandishing her electrified blades.

“You’ve been doing this for too long, Father. All the pain you’ve caused people...the pain you made _us_ complicit in...it needs to end.” Gamora drew her sword as well. “Either we take you in, or we take you out.”

“You think because you’ve chased a few leads, solved a couple crimes, called yourself a _private investigator_ , you’ve absolved yourself.” Thanos let out an unsettlingly dark chuckle. “Oh, Gamora. Still unbearably naive, all these years later. Still believe that your purpose is to help others, when your purpose is to _save_ them.”

“I will _not_ help you find the Soul Stone. It will do you no good in your quest for ‘salvation’ or whatever it is you tell yourself to feel better about your irreversible sins,” Gamora snarled. “I want to wash my hands of your wretchedness and atone for my own. We can do this the easy way, Father. Let us take you to the Nova Corps. Confess to everything you’ve ever done - give them numbers, give them names. Live the rest of your days freed from your truths, or they will hunt you down for the rest of time.”

“And you think they’ll listen to me?” Thanos advanced, his strides long and thundering against the dense Sakaaran soil. “Or will they kill me where I stand? What do _you_ know of freedom, Gamora? Or truth?” He leaned down, bringing himself eye-to-eye with his daughter. She held her breath for a moment, taunting him with her silence. Then he knocked her sword clean out of her hand and grabbed her by the wrist in one fell swoop, yanking her up into the air. Gamora shouted and spat in his face, struggling to free herself, but his strength far outmatched hers. Peter, still hidden in the pod, dug his fingernails into his palms in anger.

“You always told us we were terrible liars.” Nebula stood tall. “And our freedom began the day we left for Morag.”

With a roar that rivaled his, Nebula ran straight for him, propelling herself up and slashing across the tops of his shoulders with her blades. In his haste to retaliate, Thanos dropped Gamora, who snatched up her sword and went sprinting for the transport pod. Peter watched in confusion as she ducked out of his view, his heart speeding up even faster as Thanos and Nebula continued to spar. The sisters’ reputations, he found, were not for nothing - Nebula, despite her relative size to Thanos’s enormity, was doing her best to keep up, though she seemed to be directing him closer and closer to the pod, the expanse of Thanos’s back grazing the glass every few seconds as she pushed him back.

Finally, there was a pause, though if either of them were out of breath, they didn’t show it. “What do you _really_ think you can accomplish here, Nebula?” Thanos sneered. “Your life was best lived under my guidance, and even then, you had half the strength of your brothers and sisters.”

“And _you_ think you can rattle me, spit venom in my face and pour salt in my wounds. But your words do nothing but fuel my desire to kill you where you stand,” Nebula hissed, narrowing her eyes. “But today...and just today...we have something else in mind.”

Thanos barely had time to blink before Gamora leaped from the top of the transport pod, slicing her sword clean through the shoulder wound on his left, severing his arm completely from his body. He let out a bloodcurdling scream of anguish, collapsing to his knees with a dizzying thud, trying and failing to brace himself on his right hand as his nose hit the dirt.

Gamora landed neatly on her feet, pacing around to his front in a deliberate manner. She pressed the tip of her bloodied sword into the back of his neck, leaving the slightest, almost surgical incision at the top of his spine. “Consider that a warning, Father. You taunt us and doubt us like you weren’t the one who instilled our thirsts for violence and fear.” She glanced briefly at Nebula. “We’ll let you go. But only because you’re currently more useful alive than dead.” Gamora smirked. “Besides...I don’t have the authority to arrest you.” She tilted her chin in the direction of the transport pod. “Leave us. _Now_.”

Thanos only just managed to struggle to his feet when Peter came crashing through the door of the transport pod, donning a mask and additional gear that Gamora had never seen before. He somersaulted through the air, slapping a small device onto Thanos’s back before flipping right over his head, coming to a stop by Gamora’s side, hovering a few feet above the ground in his jet boots. “Catch you later!” Peter said cheerfully, pressing a button on a remote that also seemed to have come out of nowhere.

Gamora and Nebula watched incredulously as Thanos was suddenly yanked back into the pod with a mighty _clang_ , the door slamming shut after him. Peter unearthed a tablet from his bag, and with a couple quick commands, the pod activated, its engine and systems humming for a brief moment before it shot straight up into space at an immeasurable speed. The three of them stared up at the night sky in dumbfounded awe, Thanos’s helpless thundering shouts fading into the distance.

“Peter...what the…” Gamora breathed, turning to look at him in half-pride, half-disbelief.

Peter merely shrugged. “What? I was in there for a _long_ time. Figured I could put some of my other skills - and old Ravager tech - to good use.”

“Looks like my sister’s faith in you wasn’t as misguided as I thought.” Nebula patted Peter almost condescendingly on the shoulder before turning and walking back toward the Grandmaster’s Palace, stashing her blades back into her boots. “Well? Are we leaving this literal trash planet or not?”

Peter and Gamora looked at each other. “Don’t have to ask _me_ twice,” Gamora remarked with a relieved smile.

* * *

“Still doesn’t feel real.” The three of them had returned to Nebula’s stolen ship after saying brief goodbyes to Valkyrie (and, to their chagrin, the Grandmaster as well). Peter and Gamora were once again sat on the bench, though side by side this time. “I’ve been chasin’ that bastard for ages, and to be that close...to almost beat him...I know I should be more pissed about letting him go, but you made the right call. And the fact we survived at all is a major win.”

Gamora nodded in agreeance. “You know what? I feel the same way. I’ve spent so long running from him and chasing after him at the same time, and to get all the way here...looks like joining your office wasn’t such a bad idea after all.”

Peter grinned triumphantly. “So...what’re your plans now?”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I’m heading back to Knowhere so I can return to my life, the team. I bet Mantis freaked out the second she realized I was gone. Plus, you kinda took all of our stuff.” He gestured towards the stack of documents currently stashed in her bag. “Anyways, you and Nebula don’t have a place to stay anymore, and there’s no way the Black Order aren’t gonna come back. So where are you gonna go?”

“I...was thinking we would go to Knowhere with you.” Gamora chewed her lip. “After all, we managed to make it this far. Who says we can’t do it again? _Actually_ take Thanos down for good?”

Peter smiled, something soft and sweet and a little mischievous, just like two nights ago on the casino balcony. “Sounds like a plan.”

She broke her gaze, the intensity of his eyes becoming far too overwhelming for her senses, opting to look out at the stars instead. “You had something you wanted to say to me, back at the casino. Something you wanted to ask.”

“Oh,” Peter chuckled awkwardly. “I, uh, don’t worry about it, really.”

“Try me,” Gamora said simply, glancing back at him.

“I was gonna...well, I was gonna ask if maybe, you’d be interested in going to dinner sometime. Just you and me. O - or, it doesn’t have to be dinner, we could go to - I mean, there’s nothing really to do on Knowhere that’s _legal_ , exactly, but - ”

“Elsewhere, then,” she suggested, her smile growing. “We’re both seasoned travelers, after all.”

“Yeah?” The crease between Peter’s brow slowly relaxed, his smile widening in anticipation. “You want to?”

“Oh, why not? I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to ask, or if _I_ should just do it instead.” Gamora reached over to squeeze his hand between both of hers. “So it’s a date...partner.”

**Author's Note:**

>  _Lots_ of references to planets/species/etc. from both the MCU and the comics that are too numerous for me to list, and of course, some sneaky little cameos from Valkyrie and the Grandmaster that I couldn't help but play around with. I had _way_ too much fun with this prompt, can you tell? I was half-tempted to turn it into a fully-fledged AU, except I definitely don't have time for that with all the other fics I have going on, haha
> 
> You can read this fic on [tumblr](http://bevioletskies.tumblr.com/post/175967552384/heres-a-starmora-prompt-for-you-to-consider-an) if you'd like, and I take Peter/Gamora fic prompts at any time, including those for my own fic 'verses, [twenty questions](https://archiveofourown.org/series/823920) and [everybody wants to rule the world](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12841176). Thank you so much for reading, comments and kudos would be much appreciated, and I hope you enjoyed :)


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